Friday, November 20, 2015

The Artisans Road Trip is looking for Artists for the 2016 season! A.R.T has been going strong in NW Iowa since 2004 and originally started as an open studio tour of the counties in the NW corner of the state.Every year the Artisans Road Trip puts the invitation out for all artists of the region to consider joining for the next season! All disciplines and media from painting, drawing, sculpture, mixed media, jewelry making, fabric, wood turning, photography and more are accepted.A.R.T. asks artists to realize that, although the October weekend event was originally the main focus of the Artisans Road Trip, A.R.T. now has something going on throughout the year with exhibits and showings at various art centers, galleries and public events! And participating artists can take advantage of a year-round web site, a weekly blog and the year long P.R. afforded by the organization!Is the Artisans Road Trip right for you?! The 2016 season is shaping up to be another great year and event!

Check out the 2016 Artist's Prospectus near the bottom of the A.R.T web site homepage - fill it out and join us! Hope to see you in 2016!

Artwork by Hank Hall (Spirit Lake) and Tim Arand-McIlrath (Okoboji) has been selected for the Iowa Crafts: 42 exhibition at the Charles H. MacNider Art Museum in Mason City, Iowa, through January 9. Hall's teapot Parade Ready was announced Best in Show at a reception on November 14.

The Juror for this year's Iowa Crafts competitive exhibition is Laura Colby, lecturer of art at Upper Iowa University. According to Mara Linskey-Deegan of the McNider Museum, the exhibit provides much deserved recognition to the many talented artists and craftspeople active in Iowa.

Hank Hall's "Parade Ready" is a wheel thrown and altered teapot with mixed media lid and handle, metal wheels, and a wooden ramp base. The teapot is made of bisque-fired cone stoneware, sprayed with green glitter paint on the outside and glazed inside, His other teapot entry "Satellite" features dimensional fabric paint dots over acrylic paint with a mixed media handle. For the Best in Show award, Hank will receive a solo exhibit at the MacNider Museum during the next year.

Both
artists are members of the 2015 Artisans Road Trip and currently have artwork
included in the A.R.T. Group Exhibition at the Pearson Lakes Art Center
in Okoboji. That exhibit will be on view through Dec. 31, 2015.

Iowa Crafts: 42 is free and open to the public through January 9, 2016. The Charles H. MacNider Museum in Mason City is open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 9-5 and Tuesday and Thursday 9-8.

2016 ART logo

About the Artisans Road Trip!

Professional artists will welcome guests into their studios to discover and purchase quality original works during the fourteenrh annual Artisans Road Trip (A.R.T.) on Saturday and Sunday, October 14 through 15, 2017. The free tour will includes many Northwest Iowa Artists representing several counties.

A.R.T. invites you to travel Iowa’s scenic byways and back roads looking for one-of-a-kind art treasures. Artisans will offer a rare glimpse into creative processes as they demonstrate their craft in personal and unique work spaces.